After the successes of the New Year, Japanese superstar Roki Sasaki is expected to be posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines. At this point, all 30 teams will have the opportunity to sign him. At 23 years old, with a 100 MPH fastball and a devastating splitter, Sasaki is one of the most intriguing free agents we’ve ever seen come to the United States.

Additionally, because he arrives before the age of 25, he is subject to international signing rules, making him incredibly affordable for all 30 teams.

It was widely speculated that Sasaki would end up with the Los Angeles Dodgers, or perhaps the San Diego Padres, but Baseball America put the Baltimore Orioles on its list of most likely destinations.

There wasn’t much discussion about Sasaki in Baltimore, but the publication had them as the No. 6 team most likely to sign him. They had seven competitors on the list and said these rankings were the result of conversations held across the industry.

Excerpt from the publication:

The Orioles have $6,908,600 in international bonus pool money, so they start with $647,000 more in their pool than most clubs on this list and have the option to trade up to 60%. additional pool space.

That might ultimately be a negligible difference, but it means the ceiling for what they could offer Sasaki is $1,035,200 higher than any of the teams we ranked above They are $2,819,840 more than that of the Dodgers.

The Orioles need help in the rotation as they risk losing Corbin Burnes in free agency. If Sasaki were to make it to Baltimore, he would join Grayson Rodriguez and Kyle Bradish at the top of the rotation.

THE O have made the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.

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